From Compromise to Consummation
by TWBB
Summary: Edward says that Bella's blood no longer made him feel the urge to kill her and was able to resist it even when it was fresh and flowing. But what if her blood made him feel other urges? Set during Ch. 20 of Eclipse and uses some dialog from the chapter.


**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement** **intended.**

A small smile turned the corners of my lips upward as Bella brought her ancient truck to a stop in front of the house. I couldn't wait to feel hold her close to me and feel her body pressed against mine while I kissed her breathless. But of course, there wasn't anything I liked to do more than feel Bella, soft and warm in my arms, her plump, full lips moving in tandem with mine.

I was at her door and had her encased in my arms bridal style before she had even registered my exit from the truck I carried her swiftly across the threshold with my lips attached to her. Mindful of her need to breathe, I slid my lips along the graceful arch of her neck, planting soft lingering kisses across her throat.

"Welcome home," I murmured, thinking of the day that I would repeat this act with her as my wife. That thought caused my dead heart to skip a beat.

"That sounds nice," she said breathlessly, smiling mischievously. When I set her back on her feet she kept her arms wrapped around me, pressing her face into my chest and kissing me softly over the place where my silent heart lay. Her warmth radiated throughout my body, and I had to stifle a groan at the now familiar tug in the pit of my stomach.

She seemed very affectionate tonight, and I hoped feeling would continue once she saw the gift that I had for her. She had already accepted one from that mongrel, much to my irritation and his elation. He ignorantly surmised that by allowing him to gift her with some silly charm that she favored his affection to mine.

_Stupid dog_! Bella was mine! I often wondered if I would end up having to beat the message into his oversized furry head.

I pushed the violent urge into the same space that held my near constant irritation. This was not the time to be thinking of mangy animals. I refused to sully tonight by thinking of that putrid mutt. Bella and I had agreed to think of nothing but one another tonight.

I reminded Bella of the heirloom "hand-me-down", as we had chosen to call it, that I had for her and asked her if she wanted to see it now or later. She was eager to head up to my room, but the sudden flash of desire in her eyes made me think that she had a different reason in mind for wanting to relocate upstairs.

Ignoring the part of my brain that was telling me that going to my room might be a mistake; I swept her back into my arms and sprinted up the stairs to my room. I set her down at the door and dashed into my closet to retrieve a box of mementos that Carlisle had secured for me from my human family's home right after my change. Until I had met Bella and felt the need to add such things as a certain bottle cap, the only items in the box were a few pieces of my mother's jewelry, a couple of pair of my father's cufflinks, and his pocket watch.

I quickly retrieved what I was looking for and placed the box back on the shelf, arriving at her side before she'd even stepped into the room.

Ignoring me for the moment, she walked over to the bed and climbed on top of the golden comforter, sliding into the very center. Her sudden change of demeanor did not deter me, and I proceeded to place the five carat diamond heart on the tiny silver bracelet that adorned her tiny wrist directly opposite the wolf charm that symbolized the mutt that my love called her friend.

After a few moments of reluctantly ogling the sparkling jewel, Bella thanked me and snuggled close, burying her face into the crook of my neck and breathing in my scent as I pressed my lips to her hair.

Eventually, she sucked in a steadying breath and glanced up at me with a determined glint in her eyes. "Can we discuss something? I'd appreciate it if you could begin by being open-minded."

I hesitated. When she said this kind of thing, it was usually a prelude to her asking me to allow her to do something dangerous, like riding a motorcycle with a juvenile werewolf. I hoped we weren't heading for an argument. I had had such high hopes for a lovely night with her.

"I'll give it my best effort," I said finally.

"I'm not breaking any rules here," she continued. "This is strictly about you and me." She paused to clear her throat and then pressed ahead. "So, I was impressed by how well we were able to compromise the other night. I was thinking I would like to apply the same principle to a different situation."

A smile flickered at the corners of my mouth. Her formality was endearing, like she was negotiating a business deal. "What would you like to negotiate?"

She paused again. I heard her swallow heavily and her heart rate increased. "Listen to your heart fly," I murmured, curious now as to what had her so nervous. "It's fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. Are you all right?"

"I'm great," she said flatly. The tone of her voice was making me equal parts curious and cautious.

"Please go on then," I whispered, trying to keep myself from growling in frustration at not being able to read her mind.

"Well, I guess, first, I wanted to talk to you about that whole ridiculous marriage condition thing."

_Ridiculous?_ My heart clenched unpleasantly. She thought of marrying me as some kind of burden, something she hated to even consider. That hurt me more than I would ever let her know. I tried to remind myself that it was her upbringing, not me, that caused her to react this way, but it was difficult.

"It's only ridiculous to you," I managed to reply. "What about it?"

I was wondering&is that open to negotiation?"

I frowned, feeling my cold heart crack a little. How could you negotiate a holy union between two beings who loved each other so completely?

She hadn't outright refused to marry me, but she hadn't given me any indication that she planned to accept either. Suddenly, I felt nauseous. _Was this going to be it then? Was this her refusal?_ I swallowed hard, bracing myself.

Forcing myself to reply in the same formal tone that she had adopted earlier, I said, "I've already made the largest concession by far and away—I've agreed to take your life away, against my better judgment. And that ought to entitle me to a few compromises on your part."

"No." She shook her head firmly. "That part's a done deal. We're not discussing my&renovations right now. I want to hammer out some other details."

She had surprised me, once again. I wished now more than ever that I could read her mind. "Which details do you mean exactly?"

She hesitated and took a deep breath. "Let's clarify your prerequisites first."

"You know what I want."

"Matrimony." She practically spat the word, like it was an expletive. I disguised my reaction to her distaste of the word with a smile.

"Yes. To start with."

Her eyes widened. "There's more?"

Of course there was more. I wanted to give her the world. Anything her heart desired would be hers, she had but to ask. I told her this, and she reacted as I knew she would. She refused all of the things that I offered her, scoffing at the idea that as my wife everything that was mine would also be hers and she should take advantage of that now.

I took her hand and caressed her fingers, enjoying the feel of their softness against my stone flesh. My cards were all on the table now. Although she'd known all of these things before, she seemed overwhelmed and weary. I assume that this was not the direction she had seen out conversation going when she suggested we talk.

I was intrigued when she stared up into my eyes at told me that she didn't want the things I was offering, but there was something that she did want. I immediately agreed to give her whatever she desired.

"Do you promise?" she muttered, suddenly refusing to meet my eyes.

"Yes," I promised eager to hear what it was that she wanted. I knew as I said it that I might have to break my promise if whatever she was requesting was too risky, but I was anxious to hear her voice her wants. "Tell me what you want, and you can have it."

She took a deep breath to steel herself and lifted her head to look at me.

"You." The single word was mumbled, and would have been barely audible to human ears.

_Me?_ She had me. I was nothing if not hers. She had to know that. I smiled her favorite smile and tried to hold her gaze, hoping that some kind of explanation would make itself apparent in her expression as it usually did. "I'm yours."

Suddenly, she took a deep breath and pulled herself up into a kneeling position, leaning forward and pressing her mouth to mine. I wondered what this had to do with anything but wasn't about to complain. A moment ago, I had been terrified that she didn't want me, and now she was kissing me. I happily returned the kiss but was a bit preoccupied with trying to figure out what in the world was going on here.

Bella shifted slightly, her hands sliding over my shoulders to the collar of my shirt. It took me a moment to realize that her trembling fingers had started to undo the buttons. It all clicked into place at that moment.

She had expressed her fear that she wouldn't want me after her change.

There was something she wanted to do while she was still human.

She wanted me. She wanted to have _sex_ with me.

I froze and gently pushed her away, easily breaking her grasp on my shirt. I couldn't have sex with her. I could harm her or worse, end her precious life. She was obviously not appeased by my explanations and excuses.

She argued with me, reiterating my earlier promise that she could have whatever she wanted, but I felt fast to my decision. It was too dangerous to take her now. I was too strong and my desire to take her was fierce and fervent.

She just had no idea how much I desired her, none at all. She didn't know the thoughts I had, the same thoughts of any seventeen year old male, only mine were enhanced by decades of listening to the thoughts of others, not to mention the almost century of celibacy.

She was absolutely clueless about how desperately I wanted to see her, to feel all of her, to share myself with her the way a man shares himself with the woman he loves. She didn't know that I wanted to make her mine in every way. I wanted to marry her, change her, and make love to her –and not necessarily in that order.

She had no idea because I had never told her. And I had never told her because I was afraid it would lead to this, to her asking me for the very thing she was not demanding in return for becoming my wife. I had no idea what I was going to do to get out of this. She was demanding the one thing that we both wanted with equal fervor.

As I was wracking my brain for an escape, she reminded me that she was going to be a newborn vampire soon and would be different then. That even though she would finally be more durable, she would have no interest in making love to me for some time. I could find the patience to wait for her newborn phase to pass in exchange for eternity, but I wasn't looking forward to it, by any means.

She surprised and aroused me by announcing that she wanted me more than food or water or oxygen. Bella had never made such a declaration before. I had heard her heart race when I kissed her, felt her body heat rise when I held her, and saw her cheeks flush an enticing shade of pink when I pressed my body flush against hers. I knew she wanted me physically, but I guess I didn't have any idea of the strength of her passion.

She twisted her head to kiss the palm of my hand. A bolt of electricity shot straight from the place that her lips touched my skin directly to my groin. I shifted a little, trying to ignore it.

I took in a deep breath, trying to distract myself from the exquisite sensation that her lips on my skin stirred within me.

"Bella, I could kill you," I whispered and gently cupped her cheek, forcing her to hold my gaze. I had to remember that fact. Surely the reminder of the danger the act posed to her life would be enough to diminish the longing to experience true intimacy with my love.

"I don't think you could." She retorted. I frowned. That statement was simply denial on her part. She had always refused to see what a danger I was to her.

I felt the need to demonstrate my strength, so I removed my hand from where it gently cradled her fragile skin and reached behind me to snap one of the wrought iron roses off the bed frame. It was about as difficult for me as I imagined snapping a twig in half would be for her.

I brought my hand back around to show her what I'd done. Just as I was about to close my fingers around the piece of metal in my hand, Bella reached out and snatched the metal flower from my grasp.

"That's not what I meant. I already know how strong you are. You didn't have to break the furniture." She glared at me as she reflexively clenched her fingers around the rose in her hand, trying to reign in her sudden temper. The act caused the sharp edges of the flower to cut into her flesh, spilling her fragrant blood and forcing me to cut off mid-breath, so I didn't act on my urges. My body, which had been only mildly aroused before, was at full attention now. I knew exactly how monstrous it was that the scent of Bella's blood caused this reaction in me and was more that disgusted because of it.

Bella stared into my eyes, trying to gage my reaction. Realization flashed in her eyes and she dropped the flower to the bed. She looked down at her hand, which was now covered in a thick coating of the luscious blood dripping from the small cuts on her palm and fingers, then back at me with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

I shook my head. She was grossly overestimating my control. The combination of our mutual desires coupled with her blood, would be too much for my wavering control. I locked my muscles in place, afraid to move. I was terrified that my body would overtake my mind, and I'd find myself lunging for Bella and licking her hand like a domesticated lion.

She stared into my eyes for a long moment, no doubt searching for some sign of weakness there. There was definitely weakness. She had no idea how much I wanted to give in to what she was asking, how the dual pleasure of her blood and her body appealed to me.

"Breathe, Edward," she whispered. I shook my head again. "I know that you want this, and I want you to have it. There's no bite, no venom in the cuts. Only my blood, for your pleasure," she whispered seductively.

"My pleasure?" I managed to force through my clenched teeth. She was concerned with my pleasure when I fighting the urge to ravage her?

"And mine too. Nothing would make me happier than to see you indulge in something that we both know would give you the greatest pleasure you've ever known." She moved closer to me and I tried to force my rigid frame to lean away from her, but I couldn't move.

"No, Bella. Making love to you would be the greatest pleasure. Tasting your blood could never top that," I whispered huskily. I didn't intend to say that, but the heady combination of Bella's blood and her arousal had scrambled my thoughts and left me feeling reckless.

"Please," she said, her voice was lower, sexier than before, and her heartbeat accelerated as she pressed her torso flushed against mine.

"I know that this is a great risk, and I'm not asking you for any guarantees. Taste my blood Edward and then make love to me. Give in to what we both want and I'll marry you." My brain only registered her last three words.

_I'll marry you._ She wanted to be mine in all the ways I wanted to be hers.

She'd marry me, and all I had to do was do what I wanted to, anyway. What I had always wanted to, since the first time she had touched my arm in the meadow all those months ago.

As if of their own volition, my arms tightened around her and my lips found their way to her ear. The thump of her heartbeat grew louder in my ears, and her breath started to come in short pants as I began to press soft kisses there.

I allowed myself to breathe as I kissed my way down her neck. The scent of her blood and her arousal along with the feel of her soft body pressed against mine caused any hesitation or doubt I had to crumble. I could feel the tightening in my abdomen spreading down to where my pants were beginning to feel uncomfortably tight.

Bella suddenly twisted in my arms, and pressed two of her injured fingers into my mouth, commanding me to drink. Without thinking, I sucked her fingers into my mouth and did as she asked. I groaned in pleasure and pulled her tighter against me, unwilling to allow even an inch between us.

I was still conscious of my movements, hyper-aware of them, but I knew I was not being as gentle as I usually was. The bloodlust that I had been expecting did not come and, she didn't show the slightest sign of discomfort. To the contrary, she pulled herself more tightly against me, locking her free arm around my neck and pressing her breasts against my hard chest.

Distracted by feeling of her body pressed against mine, I stopped drinking. My lips dropped to her neck where I began licking and nipping her supple flesh, but I kept her hand in mine, holding the seductive nectar of her blood within my reach. The stiffly starched fabric of my shirt was bunched in her fist. Her heart was racing now.

When her fingers reached for the buttons of my shirt, I made no move to stop her. I practically growled when her hot palm caressed the skin of my chest, tracing the lines of my pectoral muscles before skimming lower to my abs. The familiar tension increased and the tightening spread toward my groin.

Reality was beginning to filter into my consciousness, and I dropped her hand disgusted that I had been drinking my Bella's blood. I knew that her life wasn't in danger as I had, miraculously, managed to stay in control of my instincts No, that wasn't the worst grievance I had committed here tonight. I was going to steal her virginity, her virtue. I was truly a monster.

Bella&" My voice sounded strange in my ears, more of a crackling gasp, but it was all I could manage. It was hard to concentrate around the surge of guilt that was suddenly clawing its way into my brain that was berating me for even attempting this right now. Bella may want to be mine, but we were not married. This was wrong. She deserved better.

Bella sighed heavily, and wiped her hand on my shirt, which she had managed to take off while I was having an attack of conscience. She took my hands in hers and placed them in her lap. She looked up into my eyes and spoke the words that released me from all my guilt and self-loathing.

"Edward, I know where your mind went, but trust me when I say that no one's virtue is at risk here. We love each other. We are fully committed to each other, more than most married couples I've met. We are as dedicated as any couple in your family. I love you, so much, Edward. I want to be yours, in every way that there is to be yours."

She looked away then, down at our hands, still twined together and resting in her lap. She drew her lower lip between her teeth and gnawed at it, waiting for my response.

Bella really did love me that much. She was really mine. She didn't doubt it one bit. How could I not show her how much I loved her, too?

I let go of her hands and slid my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against my bare chest. She responded by crushing her mouth against mine, kissing me frantically and winding her hands into the hair at the base of my skull. I had to remind myself to remain gentle with her as I kissed her back.

I needed her closer to me. In a swift movement, I laid her back on the comforter and moved to hover above her, keeping one arm wrapped around her waist. I lifted my other hand to cradle her head in place as our mouths continued to move together desperately. I began to move the hand that was pressed against her back, sliding it up and down over the silky fabric of her blouse.

Tentatively, I moved that hand around to the flat expanse of her abdomen. Desiring access to the skin of her back, I pulled at the hem of fabric of her blouse, hoping to un-tuck it from her jeans, but I misjudged the strength of my pull and ended up ripping the garment right up the middle. I didn't need to breathe, but I began panting, overcome by the warm tension in my stomach as her satin and lace bra came into view.

I pulled back to get a good look at my love and gasped quietly, unprepared for the sight before me. Her long chestnut hair had fanned out around her shoulders. Her pale, porcelain skin almost gleamed in the light from the lamp beside the bed. It was so smooth, so flawless it hardly seemed real. The bra she wore was dark blue, trimmed with white lace and had a small white bow between the cups I knew I was staring, gawking in fact, but she didn't seem to mind. She simply watched me as I drank in the sight of her, her fingers clutching at the comforter beneath her.

Slowly, I lifted the forefinger of my right hand and pressed my fingertip to the white bow on her sternum. I let the same fingertip trace up and over the swell of her right breast where it peeked over the white lace and then moved my finger back to the center, repeating my actions on the left side of her chest. I could hear her heart racing, feel it beating under my hands when I passed over the left side of her chest, but apart from the occasional twitch she didn't move. She just laid there watching me with wide loving eyes.

When I got back to my starting point for the second time, I cupped my right palm over her left breast, squeezing gently just to see how it fit in my hand. Her moan echoed in the silence of the room, and she arched her back slightly, pressing herself into my palm. The sight and sound of her pleasure caused an obvious reaction in my body; my erection began to throb in my jeans.

She lifted her head, silently asking for a kiss. I slowly traced the outline of her lower lip with my tongue before I pressed my lips to hers. She gasped and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss.

We'd never kissed this way before. While I was confident that my venom wouldn't harm her unless it entered her bloodstream, in the past I had always pulled away and broken our kisses off before we got to that point, afraid of losing control and letting things go too far.

Tonight, control was still an issue, but so far I was managing. I had tasted her blood and had still been able to concentrate enough to keep my touch gentle and not hurt her. I parted my lips as she had and let my tongue enter her mouth, sweeping against hers.

I groaned into her mouth. It was as if we'd never kissed before at all. This was so much more intimate, so much more sensual. And, oh God, it made me want more.

I trailed my hand to the waistband of her jeans and reached for the button. I paused, searching for the right words to ask for permission. She must have noticed my reluctance because she giggled, and then her hands moved to my waistband and yanked open all four buttons before she glanced up at me with an arched eyebrow.

I took the challenge for what it was and popped open the top button, tugging down her zipper. I kicked my jeans off and helped her wiggle out of hers and gazed upon her in awe as she lay before me clad only in blue lace boy shorts that matched the bra I longed to remove.

I was thankful that the boxers I was wearing were more forgiving than my jeans had been in terms of allowing space for what was steadily becoming a rock-hard erection.

God, I wanted her. I drew in a deep breath to stave off the urge to tear the remaining scraps of lace from her body and just plunge into her like the animal I was.

"Bella, you are so beautiful," I murmured reverently. She blushed at my words, a lovely pink color spreading from her breasts up to her cheeks.

I bent her knee and drew her foot to my lips, softly kissing the top of it near her ankle. I was determined to learn every inch of her porcelain skin. This time I would use my lips to explore her.

When my mouth was a few inches from the hem of her panties, and I started becoming intoxicated by the scent of her arousal, I lifted my face and moved to kiss the soft skin of her stomach, allowing the tip of my tongue to trace around her belly button.

I was lingering there, getting used to her scent. It was not exactly a new scent to me, but it was definitely more intense. I couldn't resist moving my left hand over the lace to the spot directly between her thighs. She jumped slightly, but not before I felt the dampness of the fabric.

I groaned against her stomach, thrilled that I could cause this sort of reaction in her. She moaned and arched her back again as I pressed my hand against her most sensitive area.

Emboldened by her body's positive reaction, I leaned up on one elbow and gestured toward the blue lacy bra. As beautiful as it was, I was ready to see what was underneath it.

In response, she simply reached beneath her back and unfastened the clasp. I reached up, slid the straps down her shoulders, and tossed the flimsy garment aside.

Again, I was stunned by what I saw. Her breasts were perfect; both nipples were tight, elongated, and she gasped when I took one between my thumb and forefinger to feel its pebbled texture. I needed to taste it. Without even considering pausing and asking permission, I ducked my head and sucked it between my lips. I rolled and teased it with my tongue causing her to gasp again, arching her back off the bed.

"Edward," she gasped. Her hand clamped down on the back of my head to hold me in place, so I assumed that it was a positive gasp. Encouraged, I turned my attention to the other nipple and was rewarded with moan from her beautiful lips.

While I was quite content with what I was doing and in no particular hurry, Bella seemed to have other ideas. She tugged at my hair trying to pull me back up her body. "Edward," she was breathless now. "Please, I need you. I-I can't take any more."

I swallowed heavily as I moved to lean over her on one elbow. I tenderly caressed her cheek with my other hand and stroked her bottom lip with my thumb. She was flushed; her chest was heaving and her eyes were shining with excitement and need.

Bella pushed her hips upward into mine, moaning at the sensation of our clothed sexes brushing against each other for the first time. I sucked in a sharp breath at the throbbing I now felt below my waistline. A second, even sharper, breath followed when I smelled her blood again. She must have moved her hand in some manner that caused the bleeding to start again.

The pleasure of her pressed against me, the scent of her growing need combined with the glorious aroma of her floral scented blood caused my thoughts to become possessive.

_Mine._ _My mate._ _My wife._ _My Bella. Mine._

I drew a deep lungful of air in through my nose and reached for the top of her panties, ripping them from her body. Tearing off my own undergarments, I positioned my body into alignment with hers. With Herculean effort, I forced myself to slow down and savor this moment.

I caressed the delicate flesh of her sex and marveled at the feeling of her warm, wet skin under my fingertips. I tentatively pressed two fingers inside of her to prepare her for my intrusion. So warm, so unbelievably wet and so unbelievably tight.

"Oh, Bella&" I groaned at the sensation of her flesh around my fingers. She moaned in response and lifted her hips pushing my finger deeper inside her as she ground her sensitive bundle of nerves against the heel of my palm.

I moved my fingers gently in and out a few times but knew I couldn't keep this up much longer. Her scent was calling to me, and my erection was starting to ache with the need to be inside her.

She whimpered when I withdrew my fingers from her, opening her mouth to protest, but ceased quickly when she saw that I was positioning her knees upward and spreading her thighs further apart to accommodate my body.

I leaned on one elbow and kissed her, long, slow, and deep, taking her hand in my other hand. I pressed my lips to hers once more before turning my head slightly to lick the palm of her hand, collecting the euphoric blood that was still trickling from her cuts.

I steeled myself and garnered as much of my self-control as I could still muster and asked the question that would seal both out fates.

"Bella, my love, are you sure? If we do this, it changes everything. We will belong to each other."

She nodded immediately. "I'm sure, Edward."

"If I hurt you, if I do anything wrong, you must tell me at once. Promise me, Bella."

"I will, I promise," she said solemnly.

I took another deep breath and with excruciating slowness, I shifted my hips so that I could push inside her, just a few inches.

_Oh,_ _God&Oh, God&Oh God._

My eyes rolled back in my head, but snapped open when Bella placed the heel of her hand against my lips. Her blood was flowing again, and I knew that she had deliberately forced one of the cuts open. I froze, unsure of how to react. Sensing my hesitation, Bella smiled at me and whispered, "Don't think, Edward, just love me. Make me yours."

Shrugging off my annoying trepidation, I attached my lips to her hand and quickly shifted my hips, pushing the rest of the way inside her and didn't stop until my pelvis was pressed flush against hers. I was right. There was no greater pleasure than being sheathed inside my Bella. And the dual pleasure of her blood and her body was going to be my undoing. No one should be allowed this much carnal satisfaction.

I reached up to smooth the hair away from her face, searching her expression for even the slightest sign that she was hurt and wanted me to stop.

"Are you okay, Love?" I struggled to ask as her blood flowed across my tongue.

"Yes," she moaned, "Move in me Edward. You feel so good."

I drew my hips back a little and slid forward, once, twice...

"Bella..." I had completely lost the ability to make my mouth form any words other than her name. She whimpered my name in pleasure, and I was undone. I sucked harder and was starting to have a difficult time keeping my venom from flowing into her open wound. My hips began to rock against her harder.

She clutched me more tightly. Her lovely cheeks were flushed pink, but it had nothing to do with any kind of embarrassment. The third time I drew back and pushed forward she angled her hips to meet mine, drawing me impossibly deeper. I could only moan in response.

We fell into an instinctual rhythm. I thrust gently and slowly, and Bella pressed herself up to meet each of them. At first, neither of us spoke apart from a low groan or moan, but we kept our eyes locked on each other, her expression of bliss and love, no doubt mirroring my own.

Eventually, I found it impossible to drink from her hand without infusing her blood with my venom, so I released it and kissed her passionately. Bella wrapped her arms around my back and her legs around my waist. I growled contentedly at the sensation of her completely surrounding my body. The feeling of Bella's tight body sliding around me as we moved together was so exquisite, so mind-numbingly pleasurable that I never wanted it to end.

In all the minds I had ever read, not a single one had ever done the reality of the act of love making justice, but that could be because they had never experienced it with someone as amazing as my Bella.

The tension was building quickly. I could now feel the intense pressure spreading from the point where I was buried so deliciously inside her, into my abdomen. I didn't want to stop, but I wasn't going to have a choice since I felt my climax quickly approaching.

I felt Bella's entire body tense beneath me, and she screamed my name, her back arching as her internal muscles clamped down around me.

The combination of her climax and the look of sheer ecstasy on her face as my name fell from her lips, undid me. I grabbed her hips with both hands and thrust into her hard, roaring her name as I came inside her. I barely managed to keep my weight off her as I came down from my high. I rested my forehead against her shoulder, panting frantic, unnecessary breaths.

"Edward," she gasped. "Your eyes, they're red." I had been so caught up in the moment that I hadn't thought about what her blood would do to my eye color. I couldn't decipher the expression on her face as she gazed into my now crimson eyes. I moved to lie beside her, and she whimpered at the loss of contact.

I closed my eyes and willed them to change back to the honeyed amber color that Bella was used to, but I knew that it would take at least two hunting trips before that happened. My thoughts were beginning to spiral down the familiar path of self-loathing when Bella moved. I felt her finger tracing the faint shadow under my right eye.

I opened my eyes and gazed up into her beautiful brown ones, amazed at the amount of love I saw reflected there. I was afraid that she was seeing the monster that I had seen in the mirror the entire time I was rebelling against Carlisle and his vegetarian ways.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," I said quietly.

She snorted. "You're kidding, right? I pressed my bleeding hand into your mouth and begged you to drink. If either of us should be sorry it's me, but I'm not. I'm so proud of you Edward. You were able to stay in control of you self while tasting my blood and make love to me at the same time."

"Yes, but Bella," I began but she covered my mouth with her uninjured hand.

"Don't worry about it, Edward. I'm serious. You can just wear sunglasses until after you've hunted. Besides, I think you look quiet sexy like this. I like knowing that part of me is inside you." She smiled smugly at me as if she was daring me to contradict her words.

I sighed, but forced myself to shake off the guilt. I had to admit that I also liked the fact that Bella and I were now one. We were forever intertwined now. I felt the need to explain to Bella what she was in for, now that she had released the side of me that I had repressed for so long while I was waiting for her.

"Bella love, I need to explain something to you that I'm not sure that you understand yet." She locked eyes with me, eager for explanation. I smiled crookedly at her and was ecstatic that even though my eyes were crimson her heart still reacted like it normally did when I dazzled her. "Bella, now that we've made love, I'm going to be insatiable for you." I could already feel my erection throbbing with need against her thigh.

"Really?" Her voice was low and husky.

"Yes, newly mated vampires have a voracious appetite for their partner for years, maybe even a full decade," I growled seductively at her.

"I can handle that if you can, Mr. Cullen."

I pressed my erection into her hip as an answer to her question. She moaned quietly and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You're mine now, Isabella. All we need to do now is make it official."

"It couldn't be any more official than it already is, oh mate of mine," Bella muttered, looking pointedly from her naked form to mine.

"We'll see about that," I said as I moved to sit up. I didn't want to rehash our earlier argument, but I wanted her to know how important it was to me that she be my wife.

She stared at me for a brief moment, and then let out a sigh. She remained quiet for a moment before finally reaching out to stroke my cheek with her fingertips. Just that small amount of contact made my abdomen tighten and my persistent erection ache. I would have to learn to control that or we'd never be able to go out in public together again.

"Edward, I don't mean to be obstinate about things, really I don't. It's just well; you know how marriages in this day and age end so quickly. The only marriage in my family that lasted more than five years was my dad's parents, and that was mainly because he was a career soldier and gone for long periods of time. I couldn't bear it if you stopped loving me. I know I'd never live through divorcing you, Edward." I could hear the strain in her voice. I didn't mean to make her cry; I just wanted her to consider becoming my wife.

"Bella," I decided to, once again, ask her to try to see my side of things. "Have you thought at all about the marriages in my family or the Volturi for that matter? Vampires fall in love once, Bella, and we don't fall out of it. I have never heard of a vampire marriage ending, not once in almost a century. I will love you the way I do right now for all time," I told her sincerely.

She surprised me by throwing herself into my arms. "Oh Edward, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know that vampires love one person forever, and I guess I've been letting Renee's view of marriage cloud that knowledge. But you're right. We belong to each other and will belong to each other forever." I could taste the salt of her tears and stroked her hair to calm her.

"Ask me again, Edward," she said forcefully as she pulled away and stared deeply into my eyes.

"Bella?" I asked hesitantly, staring at her lovely face.

"Please, Edward. Ask me again."

I hesitated again, focusing on the warm chocolate of her irises. They were full of anticipation and joy. I had certainly never expected to propose to her while we were both naked, but I would not refuse her request.

I hopped off the bed, ran back to my closet, pulled my mother's ring out of my memento box, and then I rushed to Bella's side once again. Grabbing her hand, I tugged it until she reluctantly stood. I dropped down to one knee and she smiled. I kept my focus on her eyes, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get through this if I gazed at her perfect naked form standing above me.

"Isabella Swan. I've roamed this earth of over a century now, as a human and a vampire, and never once had anyone piqued my interest until I met you. Almost from the day I first saw you, I have wanted to be able to call you my wife. I want to be your husband. I want the world to know that you belong to me as I belong to you. Bella, I love you more than I could ever express in words. There is no language on earth that can express my devotion to you. I promise to love you forever, every single day of forever.

"Will you do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?" I looked at her hopefully, anxiously, and with all the love in my heart as I waited for her answer.

I had never actually asked her the question; I had only ever alluded to it or spoke around it and was nervous that she would still refuse, despite the fact that she had asked me to ask her.

Her mouth opened but no words came out, she simply looked back at me, then closed her mouth and bit her lip. I suppressed a frustrated groan as she opened her mouth again. She wasn't silent this time, however.

"Yes, Edward. I will marry you," she said confidently and I saw no trace of apprehension or anxiety in her eyes as she spoke. She truly wanted to marry me.

I felt the corner of my eyes prickle with tears that would never fall. I pressed my lips together tightly, and slid the ring onto her third finger. I held her hand out, and we both stared at it, watching it sparkle against her pale skin.

"A perfect fit," I managed to say, doubting my voice was neutral as I admired the physical symbol of my claim on Bella's heart. "That's nice—saves me a trip to the jeweler's."

She lifted her hand and, for a moment, I was afraid she was going to take the ring off. But she simply fluttered her fingers, perhaps testing out how it felt there. "You like that, don't you?" she asked softly.

I forced a shrug. "Sure. It looks very nice on you." I continued to wrestle with my control as I looked at her left hand where my mother's ring, her ring, shined for the entire world to see.

Bella was mine. She was really, truly mine.

The veil of casual pretense I was trying to keep fixed to my features slipped away, and I felt my entire face break into a wide smile. I knew I was beaming, practically glowing with happiness. I slid my arms around her, pulled her down to me, and kissed her passionately.

We were both panting when I pulled back enough to whisper in her ear, "Yes, I like it. You have no idea."

"I believe you." She laughed, still fighting to catch her breath from my heated kisses.

She fluttered her fingers in the lamp light once more before she began to speak to me in that business like tone she had used when we first entered the room.

"Now, Mr. Cullen, it has come to my attention that you have more self-control than any vampire in existence, and I was thinking that since your eyes are already red and my hand isn't exactly healed that you could maybe take a little more of my blood and I could have a little more of your venom." She all but purred the word venom and gazed down at my erection.

I laughed breathlessly and crushed my mouth to hers. I picked her up without breaking the kiss and eased her down onto the bed. Crawling up her body I took her small hand in mine holding her gaze the entire time. My fingernail easily broke through the blood that had clotted on the small cuts on her fingers.

I thrust into her heat as my mouth latched onto her hand. Hopefully Bella would be comfortable enough to sleep peacefully in the tent tomorrow night because she would not be getting much sleep tonight. She was mine, and I fully intended to prove it as many times as I could before the sun came up.


End file.
